The Empty Chair
by Miss M Cricket
Summary: Everyone thinks Jim is dead, including Bones. But Spock wants to make sure... Kirk/McCoy


Title: The Empty Chair  
Author:**miss_m_cricket** on LJ  
Pairing: Jim Kirk/Bones McCoy (Reboot!)  
Rating: PG-13  
Disclaimer: I no own...anything at all...  
Prompt: _Everyone is led to believe that Kirk is dead and naturally, it his Bones the hardest. I mean out of it with grief. Of course, he isn't dead, and a lovely reunion follows._

Summary: _Everyone thinks Jim is dead, including Bones. But Spock wants to make sure..._

**The Empty Chair **

As is usual for when Jim Kirk was leading an Away team from the Enterprise on a new or unexplored planet Leonard McCoy was waiting in the main transporter room with his nursing staff and scowling.

Damn kid always managed to pick a planet with something dangerous, bloodsucking or poisonous, he thought grumpily.

The communications from all members of the team were broadcast over the comm. speakers in the room and Bones found his frown deepening as the situation down on the planet steadily worsened.

"Behind you Uhura!" Jim's voice roared from the speakers, causing everyone except the Doctor to jump a little. Phaser blasts were heard, screaming. Jim was yelling at all of the Away team to gather around, shouting at Scotty to beam them up 'Now' and McCoy fixed his gaze on the sweating Chief Engineer.

"Scotty..." he growled.

"Shut up Doctor, Ah'm working on it." Was the blunt response, "God, why cannae people ever gimme enough time to do mae job." As always when he became stressed, the old Scottish brogue strengthened and took over his voice even more noticeably.

Lighted figures began to appear on the transport platform. McCoy's gaze immediately turned there, counting. Almost, almost...

"JIM..." Uhura's voice screamed, Jim yelled in pain and there was the rushing sound of Transport. Seven people stood there on the platform.

There were supposed to be eight.

Uhura was crouching, both hands reaching out for the eighth person who wasn't there. Her face was frozen in a look of horrified despair.

"Where's Jim?" Bones broke the electric silence around the room and then when no one answered him, his voice rose, "Where's Jim!"

Uhura sobbed.

It was like that noise shattered the tableau. Scotty was shaking his head and poring over his instruments looking absolutely shattered. Spock had quickly moved forward to comfort Uhura. The rest of his med team hurried forward to gather up the rest of the Away team.

He stood alone, the sole person unmoving in the sea of chaos.

But no one answered his question.

Where's Jim?

~*~

Bones stood on the Bridge, watching Uhura as she made her report, his face a blank mask.

"There were these creatures, if I had to liken them to anything, it would be to Terran spiders." The lieutenant said. Spock was hovering behind her chair, not looking exactly anxious but not his usual composed self either. "They charged us. They were massive. We had to shoot their underbellies when they tried to fire their spinneret darts at us. They had Carapace armour our Phasers couldn't break through. Bellies were vulnerable."

"What happened to Jim?" Bones growled striding forward to stand before her. The woman shook her head, looking distressed.

"One of them lunged at him, knocked him down, they went over the clifflet. We transferred. Jim's dead."

Jim's dead.

Dead.

Someone was screaming, making a noise like an animal in pain. A howling of absolute shattering grief.

It wasn't until a hypospray was pressed to his neck and the screaming stopped that he realised the truth.

The screaming had been coming from him.

~*~

"I am concerned." Spock spoke into the silence on the Bridge three days later. "About Dr. McCoy."

Everyone glanced unhappily around at each other and then all of them looked at the empty Captain's chair. Spock, even now as he was standing in as Acting Captain once more couldn't bring himself to sit in the chair. To do so was to accept that James T. Kirk really was dead, and none of them were prepared to do that quite yet.

"After the...erm...incident during Lieutenant Uhura's report, he has had no further relapses of emotional instability. But nor is he showing any other kind of emotion at all, a state very unlike Dr McCoy."

"He's shut down emotionally." Sulu said quietly, "He hasn't emerged from the med-bay in three days. He is accomplishing his work, but he isn't interacting with anything around him."

"But vat can ve do?" Chekov asked unhappily. "Ve can't force him to deal with the Keptin's..."

None of them looked at the Chair.

"I think we should send another squad down there."

Everyone looked at Spock in shock. The Vulcan looked back, a faint defiance to his features.

"But that isn't logical..." Sulu said faintly.

"Oh but it is." Spock insisted, steepling his fingers together and looking at them all, "We have no conclusive evidence that Captain Kirk is dead. Merely conjecture. That man has a remarkable aptitude for achieving impossibility. Therefore it is rather more probable that he had managed to extract himself from another potentially lethal situation."

"If we do it," Sulu said grimly, "We cannot tell McCoy."

"Definately not." Uhura shook her head, "If we found Jim's...the Captains...body..."

Silence fell around the Bridge.

"Well I'll go." Sulu said, "The Captain saved my life, I owe him to look."

"I'm in." Lieutenant Uhura said firmly, glaring at Spock as though daring him to tell her otherwise. He didn't take the dare.

"I of course will be going as well." Spock said. Technically he shouldn't, he was the acting Captain. But he didn't want to wait here aboard the Enterprise, hoping they were searching in the most logical manner possible. Better that he go and supervise.

~*~

How many times had he folded these linens? McCoy wondered faintly, his large hands smoothing over the fabric for perhaps the hundredth or thousandth time. How many times had he deemed the job done improperly and therefore needing to be repeated? He had done everything else in the med bay. Everything was spotless, everything was in its place, and everything was quiet. Even the patients.

If he finished folding these linens then there would be nothing else to do, and he would have to think about the fact that Jim was...

The corner was creased. He would just have to fold them again.

As he shook them out he caught a glimpse of a figure in the doorway of the Med-bay and he turned to look, wondering who it could be interrupting him at his work.

It was Chekov.

The young man smiled sadly at the older Doctor and moved into the Med-bay.

"Hello Doctor." He said quietly, voice pitched low so as not to wake up any of the patients, "I vas vondering if you vould come up with me to the Bridge? I haff some things to do and I could use an extra pair of hands?"

"Of course." McCoy said dully. He folded the linens deftly and finally laid them down in pristine condition before turning to the younger man, keen to be doing something else, anything else. He would not think about...

~*~

"This is the clifflet." Uhura informed the others, as they all peered over the edge down into the gully below. "I didn't see where the Captain went, we transported immediately."

"Here is where we should begin our Search then." Spock said and then methodically sorted out the rest of the Team into three groups. It had been remarkable how many crewmembers had been willing to be part of the Search party. James Kirk certainly inspired loyalty if nothing else. "I will lead a group this way. Lieutenant, you that way, and Pilot you take your team that way."

They all split up, eyes alert for any sign of either the Carapaced arachnids or their Captain.

Spock led his group slowly down into the gully, scouring the rocky terrain for any sign that the human Captain had survived his fall and encounter with the predator.

Hours passed and everyone started to lose hope. There was no sign of anything, let alone a definite signal that Kirk was alive or dead. This mission was turning out to be a fruitless one.

Spock, feeling slightly more downcast than he would ever admit to feeling, moved through the Gully floor until he spotted a orifice in the wall. There, caught between two stones was a torn piece of gold fabric.

"Attention Lieutenant and Pilot." Spock spoke quickly into his communicator. "I have found a torn piece of Captain Kirk's uniform. It is located outside an orifice in the gully wall. He could logically be inside. I shall investigate."

"Affirmative, Commander." Sulu said gravely, "We are on our way to provide support and backup."

Putting away his comm. the Vulcan moved forward, creeping slowly into the cave. Flicking on his high-beam light emitter he blinked in surprise at the colours flooding the walls. The place, although stark was strangely beautiful.

Quickly he made his way in, deeper, passing through several caves until he came across one that was elevated and had a small pool of water in it. There slumped against the wall, bruised and bloody was Jim Kirk.

"Captain!" One of the redshirted crewmembers gasped, darting forward towards the slumped man.

"Wait!" Spock hissed, but too late.

A great furred beast lunged up from where it had been hidden against the shadows of the far wall. It roared its fury and swiped at the hapless crew man, killing him instantly and then turning its attention to the rest of the party.

"Set Phasers to stun." Spock said, still calm even as the great beast towered above them howling out its rage. Then before battle could commence a raspy voice spoke.

"No!"

Instantly the beast turned away from them, hurrying over to the prostrate form of the Starfleet Captain. A crew man quickly raised his Phaser ready to shoot the creature but Spock raised his hand to stop him. "Wait."

The beast crouched in front of Kirk, turning its baleful face towards them and hissed. The posture of the creature puzzled Spock until he realised.

"It's protecting him."

Kirk was speaking, his voice faint but it unmistakably his voice. He was alive then, truly alive. "They are my friends." The beast whined with confusion, looking between its companion and the strangers. "They are the ones I came here with. Spock, get your arse over here would you?"

So much for gratitude.

~*~

They made it back to the clifflet leaving behind the great furred beast who had made soft crying sounds when Jim left. Jim too had been emotional, something which had embarrassed the Vulcan. Seeing his captain so emotionally exposed was akin to seeing him openly naked and it made him feel rather uncomfortable.

"She saved me." Jim told the Commander, supported as he was by both the Vulcan and the pilot who had caught up with them outside the orifice. "She heard me screaming and tore the spider thing apart. She took me in there and fed me. I'd be dead if it wasn't for her."

"Your ability to insinuate yourself into the affections of females of any race astounds me Captain." Spock said dryly, as they reached the summit, meeting up with an also emotional Uhura.

Once the hugging and the kissing was over, a rather green Spock spoke to Scotty. "Return us to our ship Mr Scott."

~*~

Doctor McCoy returned to his quarters from the Bridge, feeling quite weary. That young man was a tyrant. A happy, enthusiastic, _bouncing _tyrant, but a tyrant none the less. But he did feel quite a lot better. If he was tired then he would be able to sleep and not think about...anything.

Punching the code into his room he blinked as light flooded out as well as voices of all the Senior Officers as well as some Junior ones he didn't know. Everyone turned to look at him, and he scowled at them all.

"Dammit what are you all doing in here?" he growled, feeling his blood pressure rise.

Everyone was smiling, why was everyone smiling? No one had been smiling for the last three days. Why were they smiling now? He didn't have time to mull any more on this as the crowd parted to show Spock, with his hand resting on the back of a bloody, torn and generally dishevelled figure.

Jim.

It was Jim. He was looking tired and sore and his shirt was covered in muck and grime and blood, but it was _Jim _. And he was alive.

"Hiya Bones!" Jim said, cheerily, leaning rather heavily against the First Officer beside him.

Bones snapped.

"Get out!" He yelled, pointing at the door, "All of you! Out, Out!" Jim tried to get up too but Bones stormed over to him and shoved him back down into his seat, "Not you. But you," he said glaring at the ships First Officer, "Out too."

As he was shoved from the room, Spock almost smiled, excellent; Dr McCoy was back to normal.

"Geeze Bones, they did get me back here, you didn't have to be so...what are you doing?" Jim said, as Bones whipped out his trusty Tricorder and started to scan his body.

"Shut up."

"Don't I get a hello?"

"No."

"A 'nice to see you, Jim'?"

"No."

"Why not."

"I am making sure there is no irreparable damage." Bones informed him grimly. "Cause if there isn't I'm going to possibly kill you. And if there is, I'm going to sedate you and then when you are better, then I might possibly kill you." There was silence for a few moments as Bones finished his scan and Jim quirked an eyebrow at him.

"Well?"

"No unfixable damage." McCoy said, sounding slightly more relaxed, now that he was sure that Jim wasn't going to die on him again. "Dammit Jim, I thought you were dead!"

Jim looked up at his best friend, shocked to see a glimmer of tears in the dark brown eyes. "But I'm not," he said, reaching out and gripping Bones's shoulder gently. "I'm here Bones. I'm alive."

Large lightly callused fingers reached up and trailed over his face, light and careful. Bones was making sure that Jim really was there. Gently his hand reached around behind the younger mans neck and pulled him in for a deep and emotional kiss.

Shock froze Jim for a moment, until the warmth of it, the smell and taste of Bones filled him and he felt himself begin to kiss the man back. Bones hand was tangled in his hair, his mouth was very soft and tender as he kissed the young man.

Finally they broke apart and Bones rested his forehead against Jim's. "I had three days thinking you were dead." He groaned, in a voice full of pain, "Thinking I had missed my chance, that I had lost you, and that this," he kissed Jim again, holding him close, "Was never going to happen."

"Oh Bones." Jim could feel all the turmoil of the last few days rushing through him and he held onto his best friend as they breathed harshly, struggling to fight down the overwhelming feelings that were flooding them.

"We won't talk about it tonight." Bones murmured, shakily stroking Jim's fair hair, "Tomorrow, we will talk about it. But tonight you are staying here. Here with me."

Jim smiled tiredly, his hand curling around Leonard's neck. "I like that idea." He murmured, "I won't leave you again."

They lay down on Bones bed and the Doctor watched his Captain as he drifted off to sleep. "I know you won't." Bones murmured once he was sure Jim was asleep, "I've lost you once. I won't let it happen again."

~*~

Two faces were pressed to the glass of the Doctors room and behind them three other people waited impatiently for the whispered updates, hissed by the two watching.

"Ooh they kissed." Chekov squeaked, hugging himself as he watched eagerly, "Dr McCoy looks happy!"

"Thank god," Scotty drawled, leaning against the hallway wall with a smug grin on his face, "I thought for a minute there when he kicked us out that he might strangle the Captain, and then that would have been a huge waste of our time."

"Who kissed who?" Uhura asked, from beside Spock, who looked at his partner with an almost disgruntled expression on his face.

"Dr McCoy kissed the Keptin." Chekov reported, turning away from the glass and leaning his head against Sulu's shoulder. "I do luff happy endings."

"I am glad this is resolved." Spock said, shifting in a way that could almost be described as uncomfortable, "I recommend we all retire, tomorrow we must return to routine."

"Goodnight all." Uhura said, following Spock and slipping her arm companionably around his waist. The three watching smiled when Spock unwound enough to wrap a tense arm gently around her shoulder.

Scotty was next to go, muttering about needing to get back to the ample nacelles or some such.

That left Chekov and Sulu who grinned shyly at one another.

"I haff coffee in my quarters?" Chekov said slowly, reaching out and gently taking the Helmsman's hand.

Sulu smiled, and wrapped his own fingers firmly around the younger mans. "Coffee sounds good." He said.

The pair wandered off, trying not to blush.

Their hands were still entwined.


End file.
